Beijing Leo Hostel

A NOTE ON BOOKING ROOMS/BEDS: Only some of our rooms/beds are on this website. You can also contact us direct to check for availability. Just search for us on google. Need a bookings voucher for your China visa? Please let us know your full names, passport numbers and nationalities.

Quote from the Lonely Planet China 2009 Edition (released in May 2009):

'Leo Hostel. Popular and crowded, it's best to phone ahead to book a room at this bargain hostel tucked away down Dazhalan Xijie. It has an attractive interior courtyard... a busy bar and a great location. Staff at reception make solid efforts at wooing international backpackers.'

Welcome to the Leo Hostel, Beijing's best choice for budget accommodation, as recommended by the Lonely Planet and many of China's top rated hostels...

We are one of Beijing's most popular hostels, with a reputation of friendliness and fun. Please read below to find out more... :)

Best location: We are one of the most central hostels in Beijing, only 5-10 minutes walk from Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Qianmen bus & subway center. There is no problem taking transportation to anywhere you want to go in Beijing. We can provide you with a free bus and subway map when you arrive. Please see our map (in the picture section) and compare our location carefully with the other hostels. We are also located in a great hutong market street (see below for more details!).

Budget beds: We are a large hostel that can accommodate more than 100 guests. We have a wide range of accommodation types to suit all levels of budget, and further discounts can also be offered to long-term guests and tour groups. All dorm rooms have lockers, big enough to fit an average-sized backack, with built-in electric sockets so you can charge your valuables safely ;)

Great tours: We have a wide selection of great tours, including the Great Wall, Acrobatics, Kung Fu, & Beijing Opera. We also have some special Leo Hostel tours, like our very popular Secret Great Wall tour, where you will be the only ones on the wall. We also arrange Lhasa/Tibet tours, permits and tickets.

Great service: We are a very friendly, family-run hostel, with helpful, English-speaking staff that care. The management and staff have many years experience catering towards foreign customers, so our guests are sure to feel right at home :)

FREE services:

- FREE Internet computer. There is a free internet computer for guests to check their emails quickly. If you want to use the computer for longer, more paid internet computers are available, all with cameras and headsets (Skype available here ;). Got a lap-top? We have FREE WIRELESS connection in the bar/restaurant area.
- FREE luggage storage
- FREE security lockers for dorm rooms (big enough for laptops etc, with electric sockets to charge your things - our hostel also has 24 hour CCTV camera security)
- FREE local area map, showing banks, post offices, supermarkets, bus stops, subways, and more...
- FREE Beijing information magazines - letting you know what's happening around Beijing right now
- FREE Chinese language guide - made by us to help you speak a little Chinese during your stay, and our staff can help you practice.
- FREE bar street map, made by us to help you find Beijing's cheaper/alternative bar scene, hidden off the main bar street.
- FREE darts board, guitar, drums, & many other fun bar games, some imported from overseas

Facilities & Services...

- Large, friendly bar & restaurant, with western & Chinese food menu (vegetarians welcome!)
- Probably China's largest DVD music & movie database, with a wide selection of classic & latest movies (with english subtitles and without skipping ;)
- Laundry service
- Bike hire service
- Book exchange/sale, some *new edition* Lonely Planet China books available.
- Playstation 2 with latest games (Pro Evo ;)
- Pool table
- Plane, train ticket-booking & tibet permit service, and advice on getting to international destinations, such as Mongolia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.
- International telephone call facilities
- Forward hostel booking service for other popular hostels in China (and we also can arrange for them to pick you up direct fom the station)
- Airport pick up and transfer

More Details...

We have a prized location inside the famous Da Zha Lan hutong market streets, with over 600 years of history. The Da Zha Lan hutong markets are filled with bustling character, with interesting shops, restaurants and stalls, leading right up to Tiananmen Square itself. You can also visit the nearby Qianmen shopping street, newly modernised with brand-name stores. Day or night, there's always something interesting to do or see in our area!

The Leo Hostel is a traditional Chinese hutong hostel, beautifully decorated with traditional furniture and fittings. As an escape from the busy market streets outside, inside the hostel are several peaceful, green seating areas, where you can relax with a good book or quietly socialise with friends. Art and calligraphy exhibitions are placed throughout the hostel, and you can watch our in-house artist paint new works every day, or even take one of his kung fu / tai qi classes!

We are the most convenient hostel for transportation links. As we are so close to Tiananmen Square and the Qianmen subway & bus center, there is no problem taking transportation to anywhere you want to go, including the train station and airport shuttle bus terminals. We can provide you with our free Leo Hostel bus and subway map when you arrive. Many tourist sites are also within walking distance, such as Tiananemen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Mao Mausaleum, Bei Hai Park, Liulichang Art/Culture Street, and many more...

Along with the normal Beijing tours, we also have some special Leo Hostel tours. Our 'Secret Wall' tour is very popular. You will be the only ones there and you will see the Wall in its most natural form, without cable-cars or sellers chasing you along the wall! You'll also have the chance to visit a local village for a delicious traditional meal. We also offer special Leo Hostel tours to Beijing beauty spots, where you can climb mountains, drift through natural gorges, go horse-riding, try bungee jumping, see ice-sculptures, go ski-ing, and more. And if you want to make your own private tour, we can arrange transportation for you.

Customer Comments...

Please read the ratings section to see what our satisfied guests have said about our hostel! You can also check the ratings on www.hostels.com (hostelworld associates).

ABOUT LEO...

Leo (Liu Yue Lai) has worked for over 10 years in Tourist Information & hostel management. He is now very proud to welcome his old friends and new guests to his very own, family-run hostel.

We look forward to seeing you very soon!

A NOTE ON PASSPORT/VISAS: Only customers showing a valid passport and China visa are allowed to stay at the hostel. This includes people already living within China. If you are getting a visa extension, remember to take a copy of your passport photo page and China visa, along with a copy of your receipt.

Directions

RED LANTERN HOUSE, BEIJING
NO.5 ZHENGJUE HUTONG
XINJIEKOU NANDAJIE, XICHENG DISTRICT
BEIJING, CHINA, 100035

FROM THE BEIJING AIRPORT: take shuttle bus Line 2 to the last stop; the Xidan Aviation Building (the shuttle bus terminal). Get bus No 22 just in front of the Aviation Building beside the main street and get off at XinJieKou stop (should be the 6th Stop). Then walk back about 100 meters along the street, find the 'Dairy Queen' sign and turn into the small alleyway beside the DQ about 100 meters eastward, you will see 'Red Lantern House' on your left hand side with Chinese traditional wooden doors and two red lanterns on it.
FROM BEIJING CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION: take Subway (Beijing Zhan) and then get off at Jishuitan Station where you will take exit C. Turn left outside of exit C and then walk South about 15 minutes. After you see McDonald's on your right hand side, keep going ahead about 50 meters, you can see 'Dairy Queen' on the left hand of the street then turn into the alleyway beside the 'DQ' shop.

Or you can take bust No 808 from Beijing Central Railway Station and get off at XinJieKou stop, then walk ahead about 50 meters, you will see ' Dairy Queen', then follow the directions above.

FROM BEIJING WEST RAILWAY STATION: take bus No 47 and get off at XinJieKou, walk back about 150 meters, find the 'Dairy Queen' shop on your left hand side and turn into the alleyway beside the shop. About 100 meters away, you will find 'Red Lantern House' on your left hand side.

BY TAXI: If you take a taxi from Xidan Aviation Building to our hostel, the cost will be around 15-20yuan. From the airport by taxi will cost about 120yuan..
We have all sizes of buses and cars to take you to any where you wish to go and pick you up anywhere you arrive. For this service, please send an e-mail or just call.

It is always helpful to keep the phone number if you are lost.

If you wish to take taxi to the hostel, don't use the service desks in the lobby of the airport or those offer you a ride to the city center because most they are always ready to rip you off at more than 300 RMB by putting you onto their private car without a taxi license. From the airport to the hostel it never costs more than 120 RMB. You can get a taxi from just outside of the airport lobby. Please use licensed taxis for more reliable service. If you are overcharged, don't hesitate to contact Simon.

AIRPORT PICK-UP
In order to get to the hostel from the airport without hassle, we provide a very reliable airport pick-up service taking you all the way to the hostel without any problems.

It costs 160RMB per car with max.3 people with luggage from 7:00am to 11:00pm. Due to the price for gasoline have been rising several times during the last year, the price for airport pick-up to Red Lantern House will be raised to 160RMB/car from the 1st of August. Before it is 150RMB/car . For other times it costs 180RMB. The above rate includes high way toll and parking fee.

To get to the airport from the hostel, it costs 150RMB (7am to 11pm) including high way toll.
For the service, please contact us in advance

Facilities

Restaurant, Internet Access, Airport Pick Up, Bicycle Hire, Wheelchair Friendly, Linen Included, Credit Cards Accepted, Bar, Towels, Security Lockers, Luggage Storage, Telephone/Fax Facilities, 24 hour reception, Travel Desk/Travel Info, Key Card Access, Bureau de Change, Common Room, Lift / Elevator, Bike Parking, Free Carpark, 24 Hour Check In, Air Conditioning